Floral accessory assembling machine



Spt. 6, 1949. G, w. S'HAFER 2,481,451

FLORAL ACCESSORY ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet l FlG.4

IN VEN TOR.

Gorge BY gramm ATTORNEY Sept. 6, 1949. G. w. SHAFER FLORAL ACCESSORY ASSEMBLING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 25, 1947 FIG. 3

INVENTOR. a e Warm SW1;

ATTORNEY.

Sept. 6, 1949. a. w. SHAFER FLORAL ACCESSORY ASSEMBLING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 25, 1947 PIC-5.6

. INVENTOR. 6 607:? Wadin /2a ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 6, 1949 UNITED STATE 2,481,451 FLORAL ACCESSORY MACHINE ASSEMBLING George William Shafer, Jamison, Pa., assignor to Ludwig A. Fetzer, Hartsville, Pa.

.Application August 25, 1947, Serial No. 170,429

- 8' Claims. (01. 1-3) This invention relates to, machines for making accessories for use in mounting flowers. It has heretofore been proposed to provide a collar of cardboard, or similar material having a rim portion, and to attach radially disposed tion with the preparation of gardeniasior marketing, although it is also suitable for other flowers. Considerable difficulty has here'toifore been encountered in the attachment of the leaves to'the collar, and various expedients have been suggested for this purpose.v I h f It has'been proposed to employ an adhesivaior securing the leaves to the collar, but this has not proven satisfactory in practice. It has also heretofore been proposed to attach the leavesWiFh staples, .but the stapling operation hasbeenslow and tedious. It is the principal object of the'present invntion to provide a machine for making floral accessories, which is particularly suitableifor the attachment of leaves and the like to'aicollar' and the accomplishment of this in a simple and Tex peditious manner. I

It is a further object of the present'invention to provide, in a'machine of the charactenafore: said, suflicient flexibility to permit of the use; of various sizes of leaves in accordance with changes in'sizes of leaves at different times of .the'year. It is a further object of the'present'jinvention to provide amachine of the character aforesaid which may be readily operated by unskilled per,- sons, and with which an attractive floral accessory'may be readily assembled. f I Other objects'and advantageous featuresof the invention will be apparent from the specification and claims.

. ,The nature and characteristic featuresof the invention will be more readily understood'from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view ofa floral accessory prepared with a machine" in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is'a vertical sectional viewtaken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a preferred form of machine in accordance with the present Fig. dis atop planview thereof; is --'-Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional enlarged, taken approximately on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, and showing a ratchet mechanism em ployed in connection with the present invention, and Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view of the ratchet mechanism taken approximately on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawings herein are illustrative merely, and that various modifications and changes may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invenl'\ w 1 A. a In Figs. land 2 of the drawings-there is illus trated a floral accessory for the makingoflwhich the machine of the present invention particularly suitable. As therein illustratedfacollar In of thin sheet materiaL-such as paperboard or the like, is provided, of circular shape with a plurality of inwardly extending slightly dished tongues II, the ends of the tongues llbeing terminatedto provide a central opening 12" and the collar- III having'a rim portion l3 outwardly disposed with respect tothe tongues I I. A plurality of leaves H having their inner ends cut transversely'with re spect to the mid rib are shown as mounted thereon, overlapping slightly as-desired,to com pletely cover the collar rim l3, the leaves being held in position by a wire stitching in the form of staples 15, each staple ['5 extending through one of the leaves l4 and the l3 of the collar Ill. Referringnow more 'particularlyto Figs. 3-to 6, inclusive, of the: drawings, a preferred embodiment of the machine in accordance with themvention is therein illustrated. s

' The machine is shown as mounted upon a' table top or pther'suitabIe support I6, which support is atthe desired elevation to suit the convenience off'the operator and has a front edge lfia. which is faced by the operator; The table top l6 prefer ablyhas a work'block I! mounted thereon on which an anvil '20, preferably of flat. strip material, .is mounted. To the 'rear'of the work block l"1' standard 2 is provided in which a stitcher levr'22 is pivotallyinounted. The'stitcher lever 22,: at the frontend thereof, is provided with 'a sleeve 23 withinflwhichja stitchingjh' dis; character now readily available rem ovbly mounted. The stitching headiZSisheldiirf pqsi tion with'respect to tlleflever 22 by'a flat 'strip 26 mounted on'the lever 22 by"a screwjfia and in engagement"withtherear end of th"stit' g head 25: The "stitchin'g head 25"has' a pivoted larm fl which is utilizediiqr "carrying. prefo ".dj wire staples, the arm 2'! aiding in the release of the staples upon the application of pressure against the lower face of the arm 21 at the freeend, and the successive feeding of additional stitches.

The stitcher lever 22 preferably has a retracting tension spring 29 connected thereto, the spring 29-;being adapted to be booked in the desired link of a chain 301 for adjustment; The stitcher lever 22 has pivotally connected thereto an actuating rod 3| which extends through an opening 32 in the table I6 and is connected at its lower end to a pedal lever 33. Thepedal lever rear end in a" 33 is pivotally connected at its fulcrum block 34. l

The work block I! has a spindle 35 extending vertically therethrough and terminating at its upper end above the upper face of the work' block and so as to position the rim I3 of the collar II! in contact with the anvil plate 20. The upper end of ,thespindle 35is dished for the receDfiiQIl.ofacollar; III andjis provided with a central pin 35a, preferably of rubber or the like, for maintaining a frictional gripping relation withthe openingJ Zfin the collar IU. The spindle 35 extends downwardly through thetable I6.

The lower face of the table IB has mounted thereon, such as by screws 36, spaced frame brackets 3'l between which a frame plate 38 is secured. Spaced abovethe plate 38 and carried on posts 39 a bearing plate 40 is provided.

The spindle'35 at the lower end thereof, has a shaft 4| secured thereto, the shaft 4| being journaled in the plates 38 and 40. The shaft 4I hasa ratchet gear 42 connected thereto for rotation,therewit h I r l Qnthelowerportion of the shaft 4I, beneath the gear 42,-a ratchet lever 43 is provided, havinga pawl 44 at one end thereof. A spring 450. is; provided for urging the pawl 44 into engagementwith the teeth of the ratchet gear 42. The other end of the ratchet lever 43 has an operating rod 45 connected thereto, the rod 45 extending to one arm of a bell crank 46 pivotally mounted on the lower part of the frame plate 38. The bellprank 46 has the other arm thereof connected through a tension spring 41 tolan actuating rod 48.which is also pivotally connected at its lower end to-the -pedal lever 33. A tension spring 49 connected-at one end to the table I 6 is preferably provided for moving the bell crank 46 counterclockwise (Fig. 5,) when the pedallever 33 is released. The frame plate 38 also has mounted thereon a pawl 50' which is normally held in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet gear 42 by a tension spring 5I connected thereto and to a post 52 on the frame plate 38. V l

.The mode of operation will now be pointed out.

When it is desired to assemble a floral accessory, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the operator, positioned facing the front edge I6a of the table I6, mounts a collar ID with the tongues II of the collar II! in engagement with the pin 35a of the spindle 35. The dished upper end of the spindle 35-accommodates the tongues II which areef complemental shape." The rim I3 of the collar I; extends outwardly over the anvil plate 2ll andis supported-thereby and portions extend overithe workblock I'l.

The operator then positionsfa leaf I4 in over-v lapping'relationship with respect to the rim I3 of;the collar Ill and above the anvil plate 20 and with the apex of the leaf I4 towardshim. With the leaf I4 positioned as desired, the oper ator then depresses the pedal lever 33.,

The downward movement of the pedal lever 33 moves the rod 3| downwardly and this also moves the stitcher lever 22 and the stitching head 23 carried thereby downwardly to')a position where a, wire staple I5 is inserted through 5 a leaf I4, positioned as indicated, and through the rim I3, and engaged with the bending of the .pronged ends. into alinement-in theeusual manner. ,=b'y engagement with the anvil plate 20. Upon the downward movement of the pedal 10, lever 33, the rod 48 is also moved downwardly against the force of the spring 49 and through the tension spring 41, the bell crank 46 and the "rod 45, the ratchet lever 43 is moved counterclockwise (Fig. -6), the pawl 44 slipping past a number. of .the teeth of the ratchet gear 42. The ratchet gear, 42 is held against rotation by the pawl 50in engagement with the teeth thereof.

Upon the release ofthe pedal lever 33, the spring 49 tendsrto return the bell crank 46 to its initial position and through the bell crank 46 and the operating rod 45vis eifectiv'e' for moving the ratchetlever 4:3 iwith' the pawl 44' thereon inengagement withthe teeth for effecting rotationo fthe gear '42, Therotation of the gear 42 effects movement'of the shaft 4'! and the spindle35 through a predetermined angle. This movement of the spindle 35 moves the collar Ill through the same angle and presents afdifferent and adj ac'ent portion of;therini I3 above the anvil plate 20 for the mounting of another leaf I4. The upward movement of the pedal lever 33 also permits the spring 29 to move the stitcher lever 22and the stitching head 25 carriedthereby upwardly to permit access to the collar I0 care 85 ried on the spindle for mounting another leaf or for insertion or removal of the collar I3,

,Ajplurality, of leaves I4 are successively positioned on the collar I0 and stitched thereto to coverthe rim I3. g

The operator, by suitable manipulation. and limiting of the upward movement of the pedal lever 33 may vary, as desired, the angle through which-the collar I 0 is rotated. In this manner the desired number of leaves I4 may be positioned and mounted on the collar I0 .and secured by the staples I5. l 1 V At someseasons it is desirable to mount four leaves as illustrated in Fig. 1 and at other seasons, when the leaves are smaller, it is sometimes desirable to mount five oreven more leaves on the collar I 0 to properly cover the rim, I3 thereof. By controlling the upward movement of the pedal lever 33 and the turning ofthe spindle 35 and thejcollargmounted thereon this ,may b readily 55 effected as desired. ,j, v e

As soon as thecollarilfl,has-the'desired number of leavesmounted thereon, it is removed and another collar I!) mounted with its central opening I2'in engagement with the pin 35d on the go spindle 35.. Y r

The; resilient, character ,of the" tongues II and thellfrictiona'l" engagement of the ends thereof with the pin 35a prevents slipping of the collar III with respect to the spindle 35 during the operation. V ,1 J

It will benoted that in the mountingof the leaves I4 the leaf which isto be stitched is superimposed in position above theanvil plate 29 so that the operator has ready access thereto at all times and may observe the positioning of the leaves I4 as they-are secured. The work block I1 supports the leaves which have been stapled.

Iclaim; z 1, Infloral accessory assembling machinean anvil plate, a movably mounted stapling head,

. with respect to said anvil plate, and actuating mechanism controlled by the movement of said operating member for rotatin said spindle.

2. In a floral accessory assembling machine, an anvil plate, a stitcher lever having a pivotal mounting rearwardly disposed with respect to said anvil plate, a stapling head mounted on said lever and vertically movable towards and away from said anvil plate, a rotatable work receiving spindle rearwardly disposed with respect to said anvil plate, actuating mechanism for said spindle, a pedal lever, and connections between said pedal lever and said stitcher lever and actuating mechanism for moving said stitcher lever to stitching position upon movement one direction and for rotating said spindle through a predetermined angle upon movement of said pedal lever in the opposite direction.

3. In a floral accessory assembling machine, a stapling head, mounting means for said stapling head, a rotatable work receiving spindle, actuating mechanism for said spindle, a pedal lever, and connections between said pedal lever and said mounting means and actuating mechanism for actuating said stapling head upon downward movement of said pedal lever and for rotating said spindle through a predetermined angle upon upward movement of said pedal lever.

4. In a floral accessory assembling machine, a

stapling head, mounting means for said stapling head including a resilient retracting member, a rotatable work receiving spindle, actuating mechanism for said spindle, a pedal lever, connections between said pedal lever and said stapling head for actuating said stapling head upon downward movement of said pedal lever, and connections between said pedal lever and said actuating mechanism for rotating said spindle through a predetermined angle upon upward movement of said pedal lever.

5. In a floral accessory assembling machine for securing leaves to a collar in radial arrangement, an anvil plate, a stitcher lever having a pivotal mounting to the rear of said anvil plate, a stapling head mounted on the forward end of said lever and movable towards said anvil plate for stapling and away from said anvil plate, a rotatable work receiving spindle having a pin for frictional engagement with said collar, said spindle being disposed between said anvil plate and said pivotal mounting, a pedal lever, and actuating connections interposed between said of said pedal lever in pedal lever and said stitcher lever and spindle.

6. In a floral accessory assembling machine for securing leaves to a collar in radial arrangement, an anvil plate, a stitcher lever having a pivotal mounting to the rear of said anvil plate, a stapling head mounted on the forward end of said lever and movable towards said anvil plate for stapling and away from said anvil plate, resilient means for retracting said stitcher lever, a rotatable work receiving spindle having a pin for frictional engagement with said collar, said spindle being disposed between said anvil plate and said pivotal mounting, a pedal lever, and actuating connections between said pedal lever and said stitcher lever and spindle actuating the same upon movement of said pedal lever.

'7. In a floral accessory assembling machine for securing leaves to a collar in radial arrangement, an anvil plate, a stitcher lever having a pivotal mounting to the rear of said anvil plate, a stapling head mounted on the forward end of said lever and movable towards said anvil plate for stapling and away from said anvil plate, resilient means for retracting said stitcher lever, a rotatable work receiving spindle having a pin for frictional engagement with said collar, said spindle being disposed between said anvil plate and said pivotal mounting, a pedal lever, actuating connections between said pedal lever and said stitcher lever for actuating said stapling head upon downward movement of said pedal lever, and actuating connections including ratchet members between said pedal lever and said spindle for rotating said spindle upon return movement of said pedal lever.

8. In a floral accessory assembling machine, an anvil plate, a movably mounted stapling head, an operating member for actuating said stapling head to and from said anvil plate, a rotatable work-receiving spindle rearwardly disposed with respect to said anvil plate, and actuating mechanism controlled by the movement of the aforesaid operating member for rotating said spindle through a variable angle of desired extent while the stapling head is out of engagement with the anvil plate.

GEORGE WILLIAM SHAFER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Bruhn am-M, June 8, 193'! 

